1. Technical Field
This disclosure is related to fluid jet cutting systems, components and methods, and, in particular, fluid jet cutting systems, devices and methods that facilitate improved work environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluid jet or abrasive-fluid jet cutting systems are used for cutting a wide variety of materials, including stone, glass, ceramics, composites and metals. In a typical fluid jet cutting system, a high-pressure fluid (e.g., water) flows through a cutting head having a cutting nozzle that directs a cutting jet onto a workpiece. The system may draw or feed abrasives into the high-pressure fluid jet to form an abrasive-fluid jet. The cutting nozzle may be controllably moved across the workpiece to cut the workpiece as desired. After the fluid jet, or abrasive fluid jet, generically referred to hereinafter as a “fluid jet,” passes through the workpiece, the energy of the fluid jet is often dissipated by a relatively large volume of water in a catcher tank that may also be configured to support the workpiece. Systems for generating high-pressure fluid jets are currently available, such as, for example, the Mach 4™ five-axis waterjet system manufactured by Flow International Corporation, the assignee of the present application. Other examples of waterjet cutting systems are shown and described in Flow's U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,058, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Examples of catcher tank systems for supporting workpieces and dissipating energy of a waterjet after it passes through a workpiece are shown and described in Flow's U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/193,435, filed Jul. 28, 2011, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Although many fluid jet cutting systems feature a catcher tank arrangement having a relatively large volume of water contained therein to dissipate energy of the fluid jet during use, other known systems utilize compact or relatively compact fluid jet receptacles which are positioned opposite a cutting head and moved in unison with the same to catch the jet after it is discharged from the cutting head and acts on a workpiece. Examples of such receptacles (also referred to as catcher cups) and other related devices are shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,902; 4,532,949; 4,651,476; 4,665,949; 4,669,229; 4,698,939; 4,799,415; 4,920,841; and 4,937,985.
Known fluid jet systems, however, can suffer from several drawbacks. For example, many fluid jet systems may be configured such that they generate excessive noise and/or other conditions that provide less than an ideal work environment.